Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents are prescribed to patients at a rate of approximately 70 to 100 million prescriptions a year. Approximately 30+ billion dollars are spent each year for the purchase of anti-inflammatory agents, and researchers are continually searching for new and better anti-inflammatory compositions. A significant percentage of human disease is considered to be “inflammatory disease” or is considered to have a significant inflammatory component as part of the causation or progression of the disease. Inflammatory diseases may affect any organ system, and although they may be more prevalent in older individuals, particular races, or may be more common in one gender, they can affect anyone. These diseases include neurodegenerative disorders, asthma, hepatitis, acute respiratory disorder (ARD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hepatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, nephritis, glomerulonephritis, ischemia/reperfusion injury, septic shock, and sarcoidosis, just to name a few. The numbers of individuals who are affected by these diseases are significant. For example, approximately 15% of the population of the United States suffers from rheumatic disorders.
Recently, in large part due to the threat of terrorism, but also as the result of a desire to decrease illness related to radiation therapies, there has been an increased interest in the discovery of agents which may decrease cellular damage resulting from radiation exposure. Various groups have discovered that certain compounds having antioxidant and/or anti-inflammatory properties may also provide some degree of protection from radiation (i.e., these compounds are “radioprotectants,” being effective to some degree when administered prior to radiation exposure). Flax seed and delta-tocotrienol fall into this category, for example.
It is, however, not always possible to know when radiation exposure may occur—or whether a measured dose may have unintended and unanticipated harmful effects. Therefore, it would be of great benefit to identify compounds which could safely be used as radiomitigants (i.e., effective for limiting radiation damage when administered after radiation exposure), as well as radioprotectants.